150% KK Fairey Gannet for FF Rubber Power

I've had my eye on this one for some time and as I need something to write about in my SAM Speaks (SAM 35 house mag) scale column, I've decided to give it a go. It'll be eligible for both the Masefield and the new BMFA Outdoor Kit Scale Competitions and also serve as a test model for a future project yet to be announced....

First off, I copied the print wood, blew it up by 150%, cut and pasted (literally, not digitally!) it to fit on 3" and 4" wide balsa, copied the result at my local library, then transferred the result onto balsa:



I've also blown up the plans by 150%, but no pics of that just yet.

......to be continued!

This looks like another interesting project. I would imagine that you have nearly as many projects on the go as Tony B
Watching with interest

The Keil Kraft Gannet I built looked nice but ended up horrendously heavy, partly due to the weight of the balsa supplied but also the sheer number of fuselage formers and stringers.
I am sure you will be able to do much better, particularly at 150% size.

Come to think of it I did build another many years later but for electric round the pole.

Very nice Andy I love the Gannet and the Seamew don;t ask me why I just do.Built a few back in the day Mainly for my nephew.Never thought of blowing them up. Great idea. Also pleased to see some old techniques being revived on the cub build..Brings back happy memories of using them in the past. My Ma could never get her head round why ironed tissue.She thought it may spoil her iron so I bought my own. I thought it quite funny Anyway watching with great interest

Very interesting project. The real challenge will be making the contra-props work
I remember Monz intended to have working contra-props on her Shackleton, did she succeed ?

Projects - I have around 20 on the go at the moment. I like modelling, so that's what I do. It's a great pastime and I find designing and building models a really stress-reliever. Some models get finished, some don't, it's of no great shakes to me either way. I just enjoy the research and the build. I have a few more I mean to start over the next few months, so watch this space......

Ugly - yes, the Gannet is ugly, but not as ugly as a Buccaneer! And at some point in the future, I'll be building one of those too, FF for EDF and/or Rapier rockets. The profile test model flew well!

Q's Gannet - looks nice...a lot better than mine did when I first built one in the 1960s. Mine ended up as a rubber RTP model, so we weren't too far apart in application!

Seamew - Mine ended up too heavy with too much paint John, so it never performed very well. I didn't understand rubber power in those days, either, plus there was never any good rubber available, nor were the KK props very efficient. Nowadays, with modern rubber and efficient props, modellers are getting up to a minutes flying time indoors with the KK and Veron rubber powered scale models. They are also getting a new lease of life as mini-rc models with the ParkZone equipment similar to that which Septic is using in his Cub.

Contra-props - Monz' Shackleton currently has single props only. It has flown, and very well too, but as yet not for very long. When she has it sorted it'll be a magnificent site in the air. I have no intention of putting a flying contra-prop on my Gannet...although I may consider two similar props in tandem....... and I may make a static contra-prop for ground display only. As a first off, for flights it'll probably be a single prop and maybe a spacer for the second one.

I've started on the tail end of the model by laying down the outlines for the tailplane/elevators and fin/rudder. I'm making all of the control surfaces movable to help with any trimming issues.

We're going way off topic here, so in an attempt to get it back on track, here's the current status:



The empennage basic construction is complete. It needs gussets and tidying. Fuselage next.

one tenor wrote: ........ I think the empennage looks a little on the meaty side........

Fair comment John, but the reasons for the beefy construction are both aesthetic and practical.

I intend to compete in kit scale events with the model and as such, it should reflect the sizes of wood shown on the plan. The wood sizes used in the tailplane and fin are 'scale'.

More practically, it's a free flight model of 30" span that will weigh around 150gm when ready for flight. The tailplane will need to withstand a hard arrival or cartwheel on rough grass. I believe the wood size and weight used will be adequate.

I've tidied up the empennage and added a few gussets, the parts are now ready for sanding:



I've also started cutting wood for the fuselage:



PS: I've gone back to Imperial Units and dug out my old 18" scale ruler!

Whilst I fully appreciate the logic for 'scale size wood' for a scale competition I am a bit surprised that the actual construction of your tail feathers does not follow the plan exactly although obviously it will be of a more scale appearance.

Just me being a bit picky.

[quote="Quorneng" post=75796..... I am a bit surprised that the actual construction of your tail feathers does not follow the plan exactly although obviously it will be of a more scale appearance. ...[/quote]

The answer to your comment is in post no 10 Q, and as far as I'm concerned, be as picky as you like, it makes for an interesting thread!

Andy Sephton wrote: ...... I'm making all of the control surfaces movable to help with any trimming issues......

The rules and judging for the type of competition this model may be entered in are a bit vague. What I'm attempting to do is maintain the look of the original model, but in a larger airframe. Modifications are allowed in some competitions, but not in others. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating, however, and the whim of any judges that might look at it!

hi Andy I thought you might like this one
www.outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=6198
Lovely model . Twin engine sounds a great idea but needs a good workshop

Great for electric

one tenor wrote: hi Andy I thought you might like this one
www.outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=6198
Lovely model . Twin engine sounds a great idea but needs a good workshop

I'm very familiar with that model John. Bruce was a friend, colleague and instructor at my Air Training Corps squadron in the 1960s (No 84 2nd City of Coventry Squadron). His Gannet and its win in the Knokke 2 trophy (BMFA* CL Scale) at the BMFA* Nats together with his equally outstanding CL Mosquito together with a jettex RTP Attacker inspired me into a decision to take up scale modelling and helped me on the way to a full-term career as a pilot. He was a pilot himself and took me flying in an Auster in the mid 60s. Again, it was an inspirational flight! I have his comments and signature in my Duke of Edinburgh Award book where he assessed and commented on a scale model I built for the Silver award.

* The BMFA was the SMAE (Society of Model Aeronautical Engineers) in those days, but I've called it the BMFA so younger peeps know what I'm talking about.